There will be a dramatic upswing in CL&P crews working in Greenwich Friday, when an additional 39 two-person line crews will be on scene to speed the power restoration in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the utility has promised town officials.

The pledge came during a meeting Thursday afternoon between town officials and CL&P brass, including President and Chief Operating Officer William Herdegen III.

"We certainly appreciate the time they spent meeting with us, but seeing is believing," Tesei said. "Until we actually see boots on the ground and the application of the resources, we will remain vigilant."

Utility officials declined to comment before and after the meeting, which was held at the public safety complex.

In an interview later Thursday, Mitch Gross, a spokesman for the utility, said CL&P was prepared for the hurricane and continues to bring in additional crews to restore power in Greenwich and throughout the state.

The town has criticized CL&P for not having more crews in place earlier to deal with storm restoration.

"The only way we are going to get more progress is if they allocate more bodies," Tesei said.

Fourteen more were scheduled to arrive Thursday night, followed Friday by an additional 50 crews, half of which Greenwich will receive, while Stamford will get the other 25.

Tesei said CL&P did not give the town a specific schedule when power will be restored in Greenwich other than to say the utility is sticking to its prediction of 95 percent restoration by Monday or Tuesday.

"The crews they are promising us tomorrow and thereafter should have been here (Wednesday) and the day before," he said.

Both Tesei and Marzullo said residents are becoming increasingly frustrated with CL&P.

Tom Giglio couldn't contain his anger and disbelief as he looked at the scene outside of his Milbank Avenue home Thursday.

A utility pole has been sitting on power lines since Sandy blew through Monday night, and wires snake around the street, a main artery in central Greenwich.

On Tuesday morning, a CL&P crew put up two new poles to replace the one that fell, but residents say no one from the utility has returned since. The road is blocked off on either side, leaving residents to drive underneath yellow caution tape, or wait for police to let them through.

"I'm just so surprised that they can leave this road blocked off for this long of a time," said Giglio, 58. "We're not talking John Street on the New York border. This is central Greenwich."

Then there's the power situation. Siri Kent, who also lives in the house at 168 Milbank Ave., said her father is 96 and bedridden, and the house is getting colder.

The residents of the street, made up mostly of antique houses and new condominiums, are not alone among the ranks of residents growing increasingly frustrated with the utility.

Karen Feeney, who lives on Rockmere Avenue in Old Greenwich, said she wishes more information was available about when power would be restored to different sections of town.

"I understand a lot of people are in worse straits," she said. "You just want to know how long it's going to be. Not knowing ... it's the hard thing."

Feeney said she has not seen any utility crews on Rockmere Avenue since the storm.

Multiple wires came down during Sandy's heavy winds, and a rotted tree also toppled, taking down wires and blocking the street, she said.

The Feeneys have been using a small generator lent to them by a friend to provide limited power to their home. They have to refuel it every 2 1/2 hours.

John Ginter, who moved to a condo on Milbank three years ago from Khakum Wood Road in backcountry to be closer to town, also is not happy with the utility's lack of communication about the issue.

"There's no communication from CL&P, no representative from CL&P even coming here to say anything," said Ginter, 66. "They just put on power on East Elm. These wires have just been sitting."

CL&P spokesman Frank Poirot explained that there is one crew that installs new poles and another that set up the wires. He did not have information on the situation on Milbank Avenue.

Roy Grossman, who lives on Chieftains Road, said he has not seen any CL&P crews working anywhere in town.

Residents said that even with all the talk of hurricane preparedness, the utilities seem anything but prepared.

"I thought they were going to be so prepared," Giglio said. "This is three, four days already. They've already started getting power in Manhattan."

Also announced by the town Thursday, officials have asked the state for prepared meals, called meals ready to eat (MRE), and water. Emergency Management Director Daniel Warzoha said the supplies would be dedicated to Banksville and Old Greenwich residents. Distribution details will be worked on Friday.

Warzoha said the town is also looking at providing areas where people can pick up water to flush their toilets.